WENHAM, MA- Starting Saturday, December 6, two trees on the Beverly Common will be adorned with sheets of recycled sail fabric as part of an interactive art project by Gordon College senior Kirsten Eichenauer. Her work will be on display through January 3.

"This communal aspect is a big part of the meaning of this type of art," said Eichenauer, an art major in her final semester at Gordon. "My work is meant to elicit a variety of responses. I consider the very presence of such structures to inspire curiosity. If the meaning of their existence changes over the three-week duration of the installment, then it is about adaptation."

Over the course of the fall semester Eichenauer worked with Bruce Herman, Lothórien Distinguished Chair of Fine Arts, and fellow student Angela Yarian as part of an independent study centered on what it might mean to see sails in trees. In October Eichenauer contacted Brad White, sail care manager of North Sails Northeast in Salem, hoping to purchase some used sails.

"He was very enthusiastic about the project and agreed to meet with me to see my sketches and look at the trees," said Eichenauer. "He and his team donated an expensive Mylar Kevlar racing sail as well as another Dacron sail for me to freely cut apart and re-sew during their business hours at the repair loft."

The sails were unveiled at an opening reception on Saturday, December 6 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on the common, located at 31 Dane Street in Beverly, and will be on display until January 3.

"It is my intention that the public be enabled … to awaken greater appreciation for the natural world through integrated elements of natural and manmade structures," said Eichenauer in her art statement, "and to respond to nontraditional materials in the context of a public place."

For information or to request an interview contact Calen Rubin in the Office of College Communications at 978.867.4235 or calen.rubin@gordon.edu.

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Gordon College is a Christian college of the liberal arts and sciences on Boston's North Shore. The college offers majors in 37 fields and has graduate programs in education and music education. Leading the way in Christian college merit, Gordon is nationally ranked for its excellence in academics and its role in character building. These achievements recognize Gordon as one of the nation's top Christian colleges.

Gordon College is one of the nation's premier Christian colleges and located just north of Boston. We offer students extraordinary access to leading-edge opportunities for intellectual, professional, and leadership development to address the increasingly complex challenges of a global society. Gordon stands apart from other outstanding institutions in New England by combining an exceptional education with an informed Christian faith.